James E. Hall weaves an expansive narrative, journeying from humorous introspection to profound inquiry. Amid tales of personal growth and challenges, a poignant tale emerges of Jeff, newly alone, and Chloe, a troubled child, finding solace together on a cross-country motorcycle trip. In parallel, a domestic scene of cats and mice becomes an allegorical exploration of faith, science, and morality. Hall's stories, full of wit and wisdom, challenge us to contemplate life's complexities and t...

The Bhagavad Gītā is considered to be the Hindu Bible and is well-known for its very beautiful and spiritual message which also underlies many of the world religions. This version is the most accurate translation to have been published – and it also reflects the beauty of the original Sanskrit poetry. The commentary and translation also provide information that can be used to understand the structure of Vedic poetry itself – and as such, is the first textbook published on the subject. This...

The Kaṭhopaniṣad was written well after the Bhagavad Gītā and is one of the most beautiful of the Upaniṣads. It tells the story of Nāciketa in the intermediate point between life and death – he receives a lecture on life and human society from Kṛṣṇa, and then finds that his soulmate is the Goddess Gāyatrī, the Goddess of Music and the author of the Vedas, and that She has made the traditional Hindu marriage vow of eternal friendship in marriage, and indicates that She will chase him in eve...

The Brahma Saṃhitā is a Hindu devotional text discovered by Caitanya Mahāprabhu that is part of the bhakti tradition – it uses romantic imagery to discuss the creation of and nature of the world, and man’s relationship to the divine. It is the story of God’s love affair with man and the universe and provides definitions of jñānam, bhakti and the role of the intellect in determining the nature of God and māya. It is also a summary of the Bhagavad Gītā.

The Śrīśopaniṣad is one of the later Upaniṣads (the theological commentary and summary of Vedic thought) and was considered the most important of the Upaniṣads by Śrīla Prabhupāda, the founder of ISKCON (the Hare Krishna movement). It tells the story of Īśvara – Kṛṣṇa – who is the personal aspect of God, vice the unknowable aspect, or Brahman. This is the story of God, as well as love through our partner, which helps us to celebrate life and existence on this Earth and to play out, for our...